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12 year user, advice about new-release models

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Also, credentials do not guarantee quality. I swear by 4 of the Costco staff I’ve dealt with over the years, 2 HISes, and 2 Audis.

If you want and can afford the latest tech in Phonak, Oticon, Widex, and/or Starkey, you can’t get it at Costco. You can get the latest tech from Signia and Resound at Costco. The Sennheiser and Soundgear AMP options seem to be a generation back, but even that is pretty good technology.

From my experience as a hifi addict, I’m no longer interested in poring over spec sheets and doing listening comparisons. When shopping for , I just want a big upgrade from what I’ve been using. I found that at Costco, for which I am very grateful. Each of us has virtually unique ears, though, so YMMV.

My point is that Costco is a great resource for folks who can benefit from HAs. The economics of HAs makes them almost a must option to consider, if they are close enough to you.

If you travel, Costco has a great advantage over clinics. We regularly read posts by people who have moved and can’t get service from clinics, because the clinics service only HAs they sold. I’ve received both in-warranty and out-of-warranty service in Massachusetts and Nova Scotia, even though I bought my aids at an Illinois Costco.

Edited

Best of luck with that; it’s always a big decision. FYI, even if you have an App, you can still control the volume and change channels with the buttons. It’s not either or, it’s both. Since I love the newer technology, I am not a good advisor for what you want. (I wear Starkey EDGE models, and while they are not perfect, I do love them and wear them all day every day.). While I understand that Costco has a good price point, to be perfectly honest, of all the people I personally know that bought their HAs at Costco, all but one NEVER have them in and if you ask where they are, the answer is always something like “in a drawer.” Costco HAs seem to me to be frequently disliked by the wearers. The one guy does wear his occasionally, but only after his wife makes him! :slight_smile:. I don’t know why that is – simply passing it along for what it’s worth.

@MJ_Wisconsin said:

I don’t know why that is – simply passing it along for what it’s worth.

Not much I’m afraid, it’s nonsense of course, but hopefully genuine buyers of premium models won’t be swayed by your “theory”

In reply to @MJ_Wisconsin

@MJ_Wisconsin said:

While I understand that Costco has a good price point, to be perfectly honest, of all the people I personally know that bought their HAs at Costco, all but one NEVER have them in and if you ask where they are, the answer is always something like “in a drawer.” Costco HAs seem to me to be frequently disliked by the wearers.

I find this to be nonsense as well. If it’s true your friends would do the same with the latest and greatest hearing aids available because the Costco aids are also the latest model hearing aids available.

I guess it’s possible that the Costco your friends go to have bad audiologist and or fitters.

This forum has a large percentage of very happy Costco hearing aids but there are a small percentage that have not liked them. Most are first time users that have not acclimated to hearing aids.

Well, you can think it’s ridiculous or not. But it’s an honest observation, not an opinion or a theory. Wow this is the most unfriendly forum to express anything other than what some of you want to see or hear.

Edited

In reply to @MJ_Wisconsin

I bought my 9050 hearing aids and thought the fitter do a pretty good job I think most folks would be happy if their results were the same.

I use my hearing aids everyday. They are not in the junk drawer.

And if these folks are so unhappy, why didn’t they return the hearing aids for a full refund?

In reply to @MJ_Wisconsin

Not so unfriendly. It’s just that you seem to want to oversell it. Now you are finding folks that are happy with their Costco purchase and it doesn’t fit your way of thinking.

In reply to @MJ_Wisconsin

@MJ_Wisconsin said:

Wow this is the most unfriendly forum to express anything other than what some of you want to see or hear.

I didn’t say I didn’t believe you. Your opinion is yours to share like the rest of us. I am not being hateful, just honest about what I see on this forum. Relax please.

Hey, I appreciate everyone’s point of view, and it’s useful to hear different ones. Since I’m not a new wearer, and enjoy good sound quality with my current set, I’m expecting a good outcome eventually. One of the saddest conversations I’ve had is with a church minister whose wife was getting more and more isolated, and depressed, because of hearing loss. They tried getting hearing aids, he said, but it just didn’t help. I made such a plea to him to find a good practitioner and go back over and over until his wife could get a better result. I suspect they bought some ’s and just felt it was a black-and- white, this works/this doesn’t work situation. And besides that I’ve had downright negative experiences with 3 audiologists in my former city and my current town. People need to know it’s an interaction with a trained provider (of whichever credential) and to persist. I really appreciate this forum as a resource for shared knowledge and experiences.

Edited

@bgermain
Don’t believe in the use of in hearing aids; it’s just a marketing term for today’s algorithms.

You can buy the Signia Silk IX Charge & Go, which completely covers your for moderate hearing loss. If you want to configure it your way, add the $390 ConnexxAir for communication between the hearing aid and your computer, and get the Connexx software. You can configure everything yourself at home, without a visit to an audiologist, although an initial visit is always necessary to obtain a clinical audiogram—which you already have.

Unfortunately, due to its small size, it doesn’t have physical buttons, no streaming. NOTE: An equivalent is the Rexton Reach iX- Li (Costco), manufactured by the same company for outside the EU.

PROS: Very small between CIC and , rechargeable, wireless connection to the computer software, smartphone connection other than Bluetooth, unnecessary frequent visits to the audiologist for a perfect fit as you do everything yourself.
CONS: Expensive

(EDIT: not SigniaAir but ConnexxAir - corrected :-))

In reply to @Raudrive

Not all Signias — Noahlink requires the aids to have Bluetooth. If they do not (silk is an example ), you have to use wires or a propietary programming device.

Edited

In reply to @Raudrive

@Raudrive

No, Signia Silk doesn’t use Noahlink Wireless; it uses its own proprietary high-frequency audio connectivity solution of connection to smartphones and ConnexAir. Therefore, no Bluetooth module takes up any extra space in .

After trying Phonak battery model, Phonak Audeo Infinio i70, Oticon Intent and rejecting all 3 for different reasons, I am VERY HAPPY to report that my new ReSound Vivias are terrific, so far (5 days). My Kaiser audiologist recommended the Oticon over the ReSound because of online “reviews” that Oticon sounds more natural. TRUE, there IS a difference between the two brands. BUT the Oticons did not work well with my Avantree Audikast 4 device AND their size and not rounded shape was very uncomfortable. The ReSound Vivias work perfectly with the TV connection. BEST, per your personal preferences, the ReSound app is the best app I’ve seen! Allows for a fair degree of personalization to YOUR needs.

OP - I am really appreciating this granular detail. It’s what I was hoping for. I’m going to study these responses pretty hard - thanks everybody.

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